Virgin Islands National Park
By: Grace Hunteman
Before you start.....
Basic Info
Do you want to know some basic facts about the amazing Virgin Islands National Park? The park was founded on August 2nd, 1956. The park has not been around as long as other parks, but has still been around for many, many years. The park is not the biggest, but it is 15,135 acres. 7,259 acres is terrestrial acres, and 5,650 water related acres, and most of Hassel Island also. The main island the park is located on is St. John. I hope you enjoyed these few basic facts about the Virgin Islands National Park. Make sure to check out my other articles about this amazing park.
Plants and Animals
From St. John to Hassel Island, there is an odyssey of plants and animals to discover at the Virgin Islands National Park. First thing you probably want to know is how many species of plants and animals are there in the Virgin Islands National Park? Well, there is a variety of different species in the park, but the total amount adds up to 1,211 species of plants and animals in the park. There are 740 different species of plants in the park. Now that is a lot of plants! When I was learning about the park, I came to realize that most of the plants and animals in the park are being protected or they are endangered for many different reasons. Some of the plants that are in or near the park include: cacti, sea grass (because the park is on an island, so there is water around it), mangrove, an assortment of algae plants, and much more. If you would like to know where I got this information, you can check out my bibliography because there is much more to know about the beautiful plants and animals in this amazing national park!
St. John
Do you want to know a little information about the main island the park, Virgin Islands National Park, is on? Well, you came to the right place. The average temperature in the Fall is 81°F, in Summer the average 82.3°F, in the Spring the average is 78.5°F, and lastly, in the Winter the average temperature is 77°F. Did you know that in 1493 Christopher Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands? Christopher Columbus actually landed in the Caribbean and to know that, you have to know some history! The average rainfall in St. John each year is 45.30" each year! Now that is a lot of rain!! Those are just a few facts about the magnificent St. John!
Fun Fact!
Sunset
Maho Beach
Maho Beach Palm Tree Shadow
Virgin Islands National Park Legend: How Coral Was Created
One day, there was a man. The only man on earth at the time, and he was lonely. He didn’t want somebody that could talk to him, he just wanted something that could listen to him. So, he got all of the materials he could find and put them in a hole in the ocean. He didn’t think he would get anything good out of it, but he tried anyway. A few weeks later, he came back to find a beautiful plant. He knew it was a living thing because he would talk to it all day, and he would watch his plant eat little things floating around in the ocean. The man decided to call the plant “coral”. He knew that he did the right thing and did not give up when he wanted a friend. The man spent every day with the coral and made more and more of the plant all of his life, and that is how there is such beautiful seas in the Virgin Islands National Park!